What's in your Survival Kit?

panzertroop

panzertroop

Joined
Aug 8, 2008
Messages
2,142
Here is one of mine.

[video=youtube;UjK4utt-3GI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjK4utt-3GI[/video]
 
Interesting choices you have in there.
I always like to include a mylar blanket and an emergency rain poncho.
I don't have a "kit" per say, but usually have items on my person.
Thanks for sharing!
 
Our most likely survival scenario here is exposure due to spending an unexpected night out, so staying warm/shelter is the highest priority- my smallest kits (trail running in the "summer") to my largest (snowshoeing/skiing in the backcountry) are all fire/shelter centric.

the lightest/most compact kit I've come up (trail running) with is a small fire kit (mini Bic, Sparklite, small LiveFire tin and a couple of tinder tabs), a AMK/SOL poncho in conjunction w/ a couple of small beeswax candle and a small sit pad

wouldn't be the most comfortable night out, but should be around for another day :)

barebones_zpsnkdnzkxe.jpg


my largest "survival kit" (dead of winter) includes a waterproof/breathable bivy, down half bag (in conjunction w/ a down parka), closed cell foam pad and a avy shovel

I've tested this setup into the single digits

parkaamphalfbag_zpsrnjdnk5d.jpg


finished_zpsni5c6lmx.jpg
 
mtwarden said:
Our most likely survival scenario here is exposure due to spending an unexpected night out, so staying warm/shelter is the highest priority- my smallest kits (trail running in the "summer") to my largest (snowshoeing/skiing in the backcountry) are all fire/shelter centric.

the lightest/most compact kit I've come up (trail running) with is a small fire kit (mini Bic, Sparklite, small LiveFire tin and a couple of tinder tabs), a AMK/SOL poncho in conjunction w/ a couple of small beeswax candle and a small sit pad

wouldn't be the most comfortable night out, but should be around for another day :)

barebones_zpsnkdnzkxe.jpg


my largest "survival kit" (dead of winter) includes a waterproof/breathable bivy, down half bag (in conjunction w/ a down parka), closed cell foam pad and a avy shovel

I've tested this setup into the single digits

parkaamphalfbag_zpsrnjdnk5d.jpg


finished_zpsni5c6lmx.jpg
Click to expand...
How did you harvest the boughs in your winter pics?
 
Compass, matches, bic lighter, disposable poncho, small flashlight, a few band aides, map (if I have one), knife, most recently added the Leatherman Squirt PS4, and a few zip lock bags. Not really something I actively think about; I just toss together the stuff before I leave.
 
I found this old thread instead of starting a new one.

After watching IA woodsman's video, I put together a kit:
2x adhesive bandage
5x aquatabs
condom for holding water
Hiking Compass
Waterproof matches
toilet paper
20 feet braided 1/16 cord
Opinel No. 7
Coghlans wire saw
2x butterfly closures
Mylar blanket
key ring flashlight
waterproof container with vaseline cotton balls

This weighs 1/2 lb. I mostly scrounged what I already had; didn't go out of my way to buy smaller/lighter stuff.
 
dogstar said:
I found this old thread instead of starting a new one.

After watching IA woodsman's video, I put together a kit:
2x adhesive bandage
5x aquatabs
condom for holding water
Hiking Compass
Waterproof matches
toilet paper
20 feet braided 1/16 cord
Opinel No. 7
Coghlans wire saw
2x butterfly closures
Mylar blanket
key ring flashlight
waterproof container with vaseline cotton balls

This weighs 1/2 lb. I mostly scrounged what I already had; didn't go out of my way to buy smaller/lighter stuff.
Click to expand...
I also like to carry a foam pad long enough to at least put under my butt and back when I’m lying down
 
what I take varies by season, where I'm hiking, and duration. I try to cover water, food, comfort/shelter and security no matter the other choices.
 
Some backpacks have this feature built in already. Have a look at the Gregory Alpinisto, for example. I have the 35l one and there is a folded (in half) insulating pad in the back. You can take it out as a biby pad. Paired with a milar blanket (the stout kind) you will have a less misserable night if you have to tough it out. They are not as thick as a regular sleeping pad (say, RidgeRest from Thermarest), but they do their job well enough.

If your backpack has a removable back stiffener, you can try to cut to size an old pad and stuff it in this pouch (along or replacing the stiffener). Also, if the pack has a water bladder pouch (flat on the back of the pack), you can also fit it in there. The goal is to avoid having it dangling or strapped to the outside. It snags everywhere and gets damaged.

Mikel

Mikel
 
dogstar said:
condom for holding water

Coghlans wire saw

Mylar blanket
Click to expand...

Replace condom with one of those small plastic shopping bags. Weighs almost nothing, packs small and is much more robust, also holds more water.

Coghlan wire saw doesn't cut well and will break almost instantly...give it a try and you'll see.

Replace mylar blanket with SOL emergency bivy. I've spent many night with it. Much warmer and durable than any mylar blanket 🙂

1_QOGTN3GSI9C5_1024x.jpg

barleywino said:
I also like to carry a foam pad long enough to at least put under my butt and back when I’m lying down
Click to expand...

Mikel_24 said:
Some backpacks have this feature built in already. Have a look at the Gregory Alpinisto, for example. I have the 35l one and there is a folded (in half) insulating pad in the back. You can take it out as a biby pad. Paired with a milar blanket (the stout kind) you will have a less misserable night if you have to tough it out. They are not as thick as a regular sleeping pad (say, RidgeRest from Thermarest), but they do their job well enough.

If your backpack has a removable back stiffener, you can try to cut to size an old pad and stuff it in this pouch (along or replacing the stiffener). Also, if the pack has a water bladder pouch (flat on the back of the pack), you can also fit it in there. The goal is to avoid having it dangling or strapped to the outside. It snags everywhere and gets damaged.

Mikel

Mikel
Click to expand...

Mikel and Barleywino, look at "EVA foam". It's a closed cell foam that's extremely light with a high R-value. I got a small EVA pad in all my backpacks. My summer sleeping pad is 4mm thick and keeps me plenty warm in the mountains. For winter i use a 20mm EVA sleeping pad.
 
GAGL said:
Replace condom with one of those small plastic shopping bags. Weighs almost nothing, packs small and is much more robust, also holds more water.

Coghlan wire saw doesn't cut well and will break almost instantly...give it a try and you'll see.

Replace mylar blanket with SOL emergency bivy. I've spent many night with it. Much warmer and durable than any mylar blanket 🙂

1_QOGTN3GSI9C5_1024x.jpg





Mikel and Barleywino, look at "EVA foam". It's a closed cell foam that's extremely light with a high R-value. I got a small EVA pad in all my backpacks. My summer sleeping pad is 4mm thick and keeps me plenty warm in the mountains. For winter i use a 20mm EVA sleeping pad.
Click to expand...

I tested a snap lock bag and it held water for days without leaking.

So I use a big one wrapped up with a reusable shopping bag. And the theory is I will just carry it like a really heavy set of groceries.

As a last resort kind of thing.
 
GAGL said:
Replace condom with one of those small plastic shopping bags. Weighs almost nothing, packs small and is much more robust, also holds more water.

Coghlan wire saw doesn't cut well and will break almost instantly...give it a try and you'll see.

Replace mylar blanket with SOL emergency bivy. I've spent many night with it. Much warmer and durable than any mylar blanket
Click to expand...
I will consider the bag over condom. The wire saw is a compromise and yes, I will test it. My understanding is if you turn it into a vow saw, it becomes much more effective.
The bivy is pretty bulky, about the size of my entire kit. I'm trying to keep it pretty minimal so it actually gets carried.
 
dogstar said:
I will consider the bag over condom. The wire saw is a compromise and yes, I will test it. My understanding is if you turn it into a vow saw, it becomes much more effective.
The bivy is pretty bulky, about the size of my entire kit. I'm trying to keep it pretty minimal so it actually gets carried.
Click to expand...

The size of branches you can actually cut with a wire saw, even when used in a bow saw configuration, you could break them easily by hand. I owned the coghlan and it broke within 5 minutes of use...

The bivy is about the same size of a folded/rolled up mylar blanket...when the ice cold winds blow underneath your mylar, you'd wish you brought a bivy, speaking from experience. I tried both and the bivy is levels above the mylar blanket.

i get the minimalist approach of building a survival kit, BUT, there is good weight/size and bad one.

I'd rather have a bivy, a sitting pad and two hand warmers stuck to my belly and back than a fire kit, but i live in the mountains and if i end up in a survival scenario, its probably going to be above tree line.
 
Drop bear said:
I tested a snap lock bag and it held water for days without leaking.

So I use a big one wrapped up with a reusable shopping bag. And the theory is I will just carry it like a really heavy set of groceries.

As a last resort kind of thing.
Click to expand...

Yeah, plastic bags are very versatile.

I got a bunch of these "Minigrip" bags, from huge to tiny ones. They're extremely robust and waterproof. Love them!

ii_1_3009_6.jpg
 
dogstar said:
I will consider the bag over condom. The wire saw is a compromise and yes, I will test it. My understanding is if you turn it into a vow saw, it becomes much more effective.
The bivy is pretty bulky, about the size of my entire kit. I'm trying to keep it pretty minimal so it actually gets carried.
Click to expand...

The opinel saw is amazing by the way. The 12 I think.

 
As small as a survival kit as I have is a

sea to summit poncho tarp
Some whipping line, rope.
A torch.
A lighter
A SAK soldier
That snap lock bag set up.
A bit of cash.
A p2 disposable mask
Some wet wipes.

And that is about it. Fits in to a bum bag.

We get rained on a lot at the moment
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top